As US election looms, Pentagon chief visits Ukraine in show of support

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends the solemn mass as Pope Francis makes 14 new saints, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

KYIV: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Ukraine on Monday, in a show of US support for Kyiv just two weeks ahead of a US presidential election that is casting uncertainty over the future of Western support.
Austin’s trip, his fourth and likely final visit as President Joe Biden’s Pentagon chief, will include in-depth discussions about US efforts to help Kyiv shore up its defenses as Moscow’s forces advance in the east.